


Protector

by sarahenany, Thursday26



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, M/M, Minor Takeda Ittetsu/Ukai Keishin, Nishinoya Yuu & Tanaka Ryuunosuke are Bros, Tanaka Ryuunosuke is a Good Friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:34:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23131021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarahenany/pseuds/sarahenany, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thursday26/pseuds/Thursday26
Summary: Tanaka Whump. Set in the Tokyo Camp arc. Noya, Asahi and Ryuu sneak out to a club, and things go downhill from there. Featuring a lot of mentor-ish Ukai and Takeda and a smidge of Ukatake.
Relationships: Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Takeda Ittetsu/Ukai Keishin
Comments: 27
Kudos: 100





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [foil](https://archiveofourown.org/users/foil/gifts).



> Thursday26, in addition to co-writing the noted chapters, did the fight scene in its entirety. They are awesome and I strongly suggest you check out their work!

The backbeat’s pounding, the lights are strobing, and Ryuu feels like he may never have been happier in his life.

It’s their last night in Tokyo. Tomorrow they take the bus home. Tonight, though, they live a little. He leans back against the wall, enjoying the thrill of being out after hours, the allure of the forbidden surging through his veins. He doesn’t remember anymore whether it was him or Yuu who came up with the idea that _c’mon, Tokyo, the club scene, live a little,_ but he does remember the Nekoma setter watching them with those too-big, too-knowing eyes. And then, that tall quiet Kuroo-san somehow got in on the act. He wasn’t _encouraging_ in any way you could pinpoint but he had all the best ideas, like how Shinjuku Ni-chome was the district with all the gay nightlife _and no disrespect to Sendai but I’m pretty sure Tokyo has a livelier gay scene,_ which was very polite because sleepy Miyagi does _not_ have a gay club scene that he knows of. Just as well, because then they’d be tempted to go out more often and then they’d be useless for volleyball. And Kuroo-san was all _take the bus there but take a taxi back,_ and he had ideas for the clubs that would let them in without asking for ID, and advised them to put Asahi front and center at the gate – and also _I’m not your mom, but I’d recommend sticking to one drink. You’re going to be on a long bus ride home and there’s nothing more miserable than being hung over and carsick._

Out on the dance floor, surrounded by much older patrons, his baby brother is dancing with Asahi-san, bouncing up and down to the beat, arms up in the air, face the picture of joy, shining brighter than the strobe lights. Asahi’s more reserved, but he’s glowing quietly, his kind brown eyes softening with contentment as he watches Yuu. Ryuu is so very, very happy Yuu chose such a good guy. Asahi’s respectful, kind, gentle, and decent without being a stick-in-the-mud. And he adores Yuu the way he deserves to be adored, so that’s another plus in Ryuu’s book. They’ve all taken Kuroo-san’s advice and are limiting themselves to one drink. It’s not a bad idea to limit their spending, either - prices in Tokyo are _insane._

He’s just thinking of getting up and joining Yuu and Asahi when the music changes to something soft. Some people leave the floor, while others cosy up to each other and start slow-dancing. Asahi-san stops, his back to Ryuu, looking around, his shoulders visibly stiff. Ryuu can’t see his face, but he _can_ see the fire in Noya’s eyes as he smiles, so, so casually but with so much wickedness in it, and holds out his arms to Asahi. Ryuu can pinpoint the moment the tension in Asahi’s back melts away, and he can predict Asahi-san’s movements a split-second before he surges forward into Yuu’s embrace. _Good decision, bro,_ Ryuu grins, raising his glass to the ceiling and taking a healthy swallow. Man, this stuff packs a punch. He’s buzzing pleasantly already and his glass is still half-full. 

He leans back against the bar. The place is set up like an L, the dance floor in one arm of the L-shape, all purple strobe lights and a disco ball, and the other with a bar running down the side and tables and stools, with fewer flashing lights, making for a slightly more intimate area. Ryuu’s standing in the angle of the L, so he has a decent view of both arms. It’s fun to watch the patrons unabashedly enjoying themselves, both the ones bouncing on the dance floor and the ones just drinking and having a good time. He’s not the only underage guy in here, he can tell that much. There’s a bunch of fellows in maybe their second or third year of high school, if he had to take a guess, one conspicuous in a red mohawk, his blonde best friend next to him, surrounded by their buddies about the same age with darker hair and piercings, laughing and kidding around. There are high-school-age bodybuilders in tank tops showing off their muscles and just flaunting their talent, _come and get it_. And couples, lots of them. It’s kind of a thrill watching gay couples be so open. On the dance floor, next to Yuu and Asahi rocking and smiling, there’s a pair of older guys, must be over 20, tonsil-kissing, and all around Ryuu there are pairs of lovers. Old folk, too: a pair of soft-bellied men maybe his parents’ age at the bar have their foreheads pressed together, smiling, and just look cute. He wonders if Yuu and Asahi will look that cute when they’re old and grey. Definitely cuter, he decides. 

Something catches Ryuu’s eye and he blinks in shock. A few meters from him, a little deeper into the bar arm of the L, there’s… Kageyama? 

Ryuu straightens. What the _fuck?_ He starts to slip through the crowd, sincerely hoping he’s mistaken. Kageyama knows better, _should_ know better, than to sneak out like this, all alone! He’s just a first year! He’s not even fifteen! And what’s he doing with that older guy? Ryuu can’t see them too well yet, it’s too dark, but there’s a big, _big_ fella embracing Kageyama from behind. He has a beard and his long-sleeve shirt can’t hide his built arms and broad chest.

He slumps with relief when he’s two barstools away. The kid does look _very_ like Kageyama, but the nose is wrong and he’s a couple of inches shorter. Oh, thank goodness. The kid’s Kageyama’s age, but he’s not Ryuu’s problem. As long as he’s having fun.

...as long as he _is_ having fun.

Now he’s looking closer, there’s something about the two guys that makes Ryuu’s gut a little tight. Big Guy has his arms around Kageyama-Lookalike, but Kageyama-Lookalike isn’t leaning back into his embrace or melting into his touch. It wasn’t visible from all the way across the room, especially with the poor lighting, but Kageyama-Lookalike has both hands in the circle of Big Guy’s arms and his elbows are braced, trying futilely to push the muscular arms away. As Ryuu watches, Kageyama-Lookalike’s hands slip and he flails for a moment, almost falling before Big Guy catches him. Big Guy wraps one arm around Kageyama-Lookalike’s torso, his other hand drifting down to the kid’s jeans. Kageyama-Lookalike slips and stumbles again, head lolling forward. He jerks his head back up again, blinking hard.

Ryuu blinks. Is he imagining things? He glances around, but no-one else seems to be paying attention. He drifts a little closer, only one barstool away now. The lighting is still crap, but the closer he gets, the more his initial impression is reinforced. Something’s not right. Kageyama-Lookalike might be drunk - _might -_ and _yeah,_ he’s seen drunk people that uncoordinated - but… there’s something about his eyes. He’s never seen a drunk person’s eyes quite that _kind_ of glassy, quite that _kind_ of unfocused. 

Kageyama-Lookalike flails again. The other guy is touching him everywhere now, and the kid - he’s about the real Kageyama’s age - is _not_ having fun. He squeezes his eyes shut like he’s going to cry, and stumbles, his knees wobbling. Ryuu’s _read_ about date-rape drugs, but they’re stuff that happens in _movies,_ not right in front of him -- and then Kageyama-Lookalike opens his eyes again, and they’re like glass beads. The complete lack of any _person_ behind that glazed gaze, even as he still tries to push Big Guy’s roving hands away, chills Ryuu. 

He’s still wondering what to do when Big Guy takes Kageyama-Lookalike by the upper arm and turns him around, clearly about to start leading him in the direction of the exit. The kid’s barely upright, and he’s flailing with his other arm like he wants Big Guy to let go, but he’s weaving along, compliant. The guy’s going to take him _out_ of this public place and to someplace where he can be _alone_ with him and-- “Oh my God, it’s YOU! Hey, dude! Dude!” Ryuu calls out, striding toward the pair. “Hey! Remember me? It’s been years!”

Both pairs of eyes - one narrowed and suspicious, one wide and uncomprehending - turn to Ryuu. “I can’t believe I ran into you!” Ryuu foregoes the bowing entirely and lunges in for a quick hug, which has the completely intentional benefit of making Big Guy take a step back. “Remember me? Ryuu! I haven’t seen you since we were kids! Oh my god, we gotta catch up!”

Kageyama-Lookalike lurches forward, catching himself with both hands on Ryuu’s shoulders. “What’s your name?” Ryuu hisses.

“Yamaguchi,” the kid whispers back.

Ryuu claps the kid - Yamaguchi 2, he calls him mentally - on both shoulders enthusiastically. “Yamaguchi-kun, bro! Old friend, old pal! We gotta catch up! The guys are all here! They’ll be so happy to see you!” He looks up into Big Guy’s face, chilling at the flat hatred he sees there. He swallows and pastes on a big grin. “You won’t mind if I borrow Yamaguchi-kun from you a minute, man? There’s a whole volleyball team that’s gonna be so fucking thrilled to see him!” Without waiting for an answer, Ryuu wraps an arm around Yamaguchi 2’s shoulders. “Come on, man, this is gonna be so great! I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces…”

He keeps up his stream of patter until they’re safely away from Big Guy, sheltered in the crowd. Ryuu remembers where the men’s room is from earlier and leads Yamaguchi 2 to it. The kid’s not putting up much resistance, and that’s also worrying. “In here,” he instructs, chivvying the kid through the door. “Okay.” The stalls are clean, thank goodness: he picks the cleanest-looking one. “That one. In,” He gestures.

“Huh?” The kid blinks big black eyes at him. In this lighting, his eyes are jet-black, not dark blue like Kageyama’s. “Sorry, what?”

Ryuu forces a smile and squeezes his shoulder. “You need to go in there, stick your fingers down your throat and throw up. Just in case you swallowed anything you shouldn’t have. Can you do that, kiddo?”

Yamaguchi 2 takes far too long to look from Ryuu to the toilet stall and back again. “Uh…”

“I’ll be right outside the door,” Ryuu encourages. “Close the door but don’t lock it.” He strides across to the paper towel dispenser and grabs a handful. “Here, take these.” He pushes them into Yamaguchi 2’s hands and gives him an encouraging nod and another smile. “Go on. I’ll be right outside.”

Slowly, still clearly disoriented, Yamaguchi 2 disappears into the stall. Ryuu’s a little worried he may be too out of it to know what to do, but a few moments later there’s the sound of gagging. It’s not the most reassuring sound in itself, but given the circumstances, it’s heartening. He keeps watch outside the stall door, tying his shoelaces and trying to look like a man busy with adjusting his appearance just in case Big Guy or some asshole comes in. Some _other_ asshole. 

Ryuu shakes his head. It was sheer dumb luck that he happened to be there. What if he hadn’t? What if he hadn’t noticed how disoriented the kid was? Would Big Guy have taken Yamaguchi 2 to… what? His apartment? A love hotel? The kid unresisting, compliant, maybe wanting to fight back inside his own mind but his body not obeying his commands, forcing him to submit…? Ryuu rubs at his upper arms against a sudden chill in the air. “Got you covered, man!” he calls out encouragingly to Yamaguchi 2. “You do what you gotta do, now!”

A couple of guys come and go to the toilets before there’s the sound of a flush and Yamaguchi 2 appears around the door. Ryuu feels his shoulders slump with relief. He’s still kinda glassy-eyed, but there’s some color to his cheeks. Ryuu takes a step back, gesturing to the sink, and Yamaguchi 2 heads over there, still a little unsteady. For a while, there’s nothing but the sound of running water as Yamaguchi 2 splashes great handfuls of water over his face and drinks like he’s parched. He straightens and turns to face Ryuu, face still dripping. His eyes are clearer, even though he’s still visibly uncoordinated. “I… Man, I… Thanks,” he pants.

“No problem, dude.” Ryuu steps closer. He tries for a smile, but he can’t manage it, not yet. “Place like this, you gotta know not to leave your drink alone. What happened?”

“I’m not alone,” Yamaguchi 2 says, misunderstanding Ryuu’s question completely. His tongue is still heavy around the words. “I’m with my buddies from scho--” He trails off like Ryuu’s the vice squad.

“Ah, can it. I’m in high school too,” Ryuu waves a hand. “But that’s not what I’m talking about. You--”

The bathroom door bursts open and Mohawk and Blondie from the high school group crowd in, together with a dark-haired friend. “Yamaguchi, thank fuck!” Blondie yells, his voice high and panicky. His eyes, like his friends’, are wide and worried. “We looked everywhere for you!”

Mohawk takes a step toward Ryuu. “This guy giving you trouble?”

“TROUBLE?” Ryuu bursts out, drowning out Yamaguchi 2’s denial. “You guys need me to explain the buddy system to you? It’s where you _keep an eye on your buddy,_ not leave them for some fucking predator to slip them a roofie!”

Blondie, Mohawk and Dark Hair all stare between Ryuu and Yamaguchi 2, speechless. “...roofie?” Mohawk whispers. 

Blondie closes the distance and puts his arms on Yamaguchi 2’s shoulders. It should reassure Ryuu, but it just makes him madder. This kid has _friends_ who _care_ about him, and they _still_ dropped the ball so badly that he was almost abducted on their watch. Yamaguchi 2 is whispering some reassurance, but Ryuu just talks over him. “Friends _look out_ for each other,” he snaps. “Friends take care of each other. Where the fuck were you when that asshole - great big guy, you didn’t see him, did you?”

“Big guy?” Mohawk whispers.

“Uh huh, I thought not. Where were you when this asshole was spiking your pal Yamaguchi’s drink? He was _leading him out of the bar,_ did you know that?” He almost feels sorry for them, the way Blondie pales and clutches Yamaguchi 2’s shoulders, but he can’t, not yet. “Buddy system means fucking _buddy system._ Yeah, you’re here to have fun, but you keep an eye on your friends! Line of sight, that’s the rule! Or you’ve no business being in a club!” He shakes his head. “There’s guys out there who wanna ruin it for the rest of us. It’s too bad, but it’s a fact of life and we gotta deal with it! And that means keeping your drink in your hand and your friends in your line of sight! You got that?”

The three of them nod, followed by Yamaguchi 2. At some point, Ryuu realizes, he’s taken a step back so he’s got all four guys in his own sightline. “He really pulled my ass out of the fire,” says Yamaguchi 2.

“Man, we really owe you,” says Mohawk.

“Yeah,” Blondie chimes in. “I can’t thank you enough.”

“Thank you,” whispers Dark Hair softly.

“What can I say, I’m just awesome,” Ryuu preens, half-kidding, then chills again as he thinks what might have happened. “You gonna take him home now? Someone stay with him, keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t have any reactions to whatever he drank?”

“Yeah,” says Blondie, wrapping an arm around Yamaguchi 2’s shoulders. “We’ll take care of him.”

Ryuu shoots a stern look at Mohawk and Dark Hair. “Yeah, we will,” affirms Mohawk, nodding hurriedly.

“Good,” Ryuu nods. His heart suddenly aches. _“Please_ take care of each other. It’s dangerous out there.” He swallows. “Take a cab. You got money for a cab?”

“Uh, well…” The guys look at one another and mutter some nonsense about the bus.

“Dammit.” Ryuu fishes in his pocket. Bless Neesan for the whole concept of mad money. _Always take more than you need, then double it. You never know what might happen._ He fumbles out enough notes for a taxi, then shoves them into Blondie’s hand, ignoring his protests. “Cab. Take him straight home and take care of him until that shit’s out of his system. Keep him hydrated, no aspirin or pills or anything for twenty-four hours. _Fucking now.”_

The kids do not make any smart remarks. They seem sobered by what almost happened. With a lot of touching and arms around shoulders, they leave. 

“Huh,” Ryuu sighs, running a hand over his head and scratching at the stubble. “That was something,” he says out loud to the empty toilet. 

* * *

The worst of it? Now he’s got to take his _own_ advice and pretend his drink never existed when he comes out of the bathroom. It’s been sitting on the bar unattended for freaking sixty years while he was in there. That leaves him two options: fork out another unseemly wad of yen for a replacement, or figure this is his karmic cutoff for the night. Or just drink it, of course, but he’s not _that_ much of a hypocritical asshole. With a mental shrug, he heads for the dance floor, where the music has picked up a faster rhythm again. He’s buzzed enough anyway. If he really wants another drink, he can always buy one later. 

Yuu and Asahi-san welcome him with big arm-wavey gestures, and Ryuu dives in. He’s done his civic duty for the night. Now it’s time to _party._


	2. Chapter 2

Ryuu’s still pleasantly buzzing when they - via a lot of yelling in each other’s ears - judge they’re done for the night. He doesn’t think any of them has stopped dancing for more than a few minutes at a time. It’s too bad there isn’t anything like this in the entire prefecture: he can see himself traveling to Sendai for an evening like this if the others were up for it. Wouldn’t be anywhere as dangerous as here, either. He doesn’t envy the Nekoma and Fukorodani guys living in Tokyo. The city has this hard edge to its neon lights that makes its streets feel--sharp, somehow, like broken glass. Like all you have to do is slip and fall to cut yourself. 

Yuu’s yelling something in his ear. “WHAT?” Ryuu bellows.

“I NEED TO PEE!” Yuu yells back. “I’LL JUST BE A MINUTE!”

Ryuu can feel the chill all the way down to his stomach. The image of Yamaguchi 2 flashes through his mind, weakly trying to push off a guy much bigger than him. It’s all too easy to picture his tiny friend in that position. “No!” he blurts, catching Yuu’s arm.

“What?”

“Not alone! Buddy system!” Ryuu yells, including Asahi in his expansive gestures. “You go together! I’ll wait out front!”

Asahi nods, but Yuu frowns playfully. “Since when did I need a babysitter?” Ryuu swallows heavily, his face settling into something firm. Yuu’s expression flickers. “It’s just the bathroom, dude!” 

“Buddy system,” Ryuu repeats more firmly. He can’t explain the way his stomach is twisting at the thought of Yuu getting picked off because of his size. Sure, Yuu can handle himself most days, but he is small. That means something when it comes to some meathead with no qualms about using his strength. And Yuu has drunk a bit tonight. He’s not at 100%. 

Yuu frowns, eyes flicking between Ryuu and Asahi, Ryuu holding his breath. “Fine,” Yuu says, snatching Asahi’s hand, “if you insist!” He tugs at Asahi, who stumbles in his direction. “But I’m gonna make out with him for a while.” 

Ryuu laughs, the knot in his stomach easing, even if it doesn’t completely go away. No one will mess with Asahi, so Yuu’s safe. Still, the image of that other kid is hard to shake. A few minutes later, a little less attention, and that kid’s night would have ended entirely differently. He watches Yuu drag Asahi toward the bathrooms. Ryuu relaxes a little. “Buddy system,” he repeats to himself. Yuu will be okay. He will. 

Ryuu turns and heads for the exit. Might as well try and get a cab. On second thought, maybe he’ll wait on that, since Yuu promised he’d make out with Asahi for a bit, but the fresh air seems like a good idea.

The night air is cool as he steps out onto the sidewalk. Around him, the neon lights of Shinjuku Ni-chome are flashing against the night, yellow and violet and pink and electric blue. He shoves his hands into his pockets and leans back against the somehow spotless white exterior wall of the club. He looks around, wondering how the lights look against him, if it would make a good picture. If he wasn’t worried about getting caught sneaking out, he might ask Yuu to take a photo for his Instagram. Although it might be better in the daytime, with natural lighting. Maybe some sunglasses, leaning against the plain background--

“Who the fuck do you think you are?”

Ryuu looks up. And  _ up.  _ His stomach drops before his brain can catch up, telling him it’s the asshole from earlier. Big Guy. The one who slipped Yamaguchi 2 something. He shrugs. “Just someone,” he says nonchalantly. All he wants to do is get home, and the last thing he needs is a pointless fight with this asshole.

“Yeah, well, you have a good time with him?” Big Guy sneers. “Where’d you do it? In the toilets? The alleyway behind the club? Didn’t see him after that. What’d you do, send him home when you were done?”

It takes a moment to process this. When he does, Ryuu’s surprised to feel the kind of shock he thought was only confined to mothers and maiden aunts. “What? D--y…” He can’t even find words for a moment.

“Yeah, muscling in on another guy’s territory.” He’s leaning on the wall with one arm planted against the white facade by Ryuu’s face like a guy asking a girl out, and for a moment he smirks. “Gotta hand it to you. You were smooth. You’re gonna pay for it now, though. Gonna make you wish you hadn’t stolen him from me.”

“You think  _ I…  _ with  _ him…  _ that I…” He huffs out a breath and shakes his head. What the fuck? How old is this guy? Twenties, looks like, though it’s hard to tell accurately in the shadows cast by the flashing neon signs. “You are seriously fucked up.”

“Not as fucked up as you’re gonna be. Stealing my date.”

Ryuu was turning to go - he’s had enough of this - but the word makes him pause. “Your  _ what?  _ You seriously think that was a _ date?” _

“Don’t play cute with me, Baldy. What did it look like, a business meeting? He was all ready for some loving, and you’d know, after you just snatched him out from under my nose! Took that loving for yourself!”

“Loving?!” Ryuu should just walk away, but he can’t help shouting. “You’re insane! You  _ drugged  _ him!”

“It was just something to help him relax. What do you think I am, some kinda pervert?”

Ryuu can’t believe he’s listening to this. “It’s not a date anymore if you gotta drug someone just to not run away from you!”

“You don’t know anything. You’re just a kid. I’ve given it to lots of guys to help with their nerves. I know how to show a fella a good time. I’ll have you know I never took a guy to bed who didn’t feel good.  _ Real  _ good,” he leers.

Ryuu opens his mouth to say something about consent, but then he snaps it shut again. He came out here to dance with his friends, not educate Tokyo rapists. “Whatever.” He turns to go. He doesn’t have to listen to this guy and he doesn’t deserve any more of Ryuu’s attention.

Turning his back on Big Guy is probably a mistake. He should know better than to turn his back on someone aggressive, but he’s had a drink and he’s still feeling buzzed and maybe if he stops paying attention, this guy will tire himself out and leave Ryuu alone. But it doesn’t go that way. Ryuu stumbles forward from a hard, two-handed shove to his back. He barely catches himself before face-planting. He spins, anger surging up in his veins. “What the fuck, dude?!” he yells. It’s shitty to hit someone who has their back to you, but Ryuu shouldn’t have expected anything close to honor coming from a rapist.

“Don’t turn your back on me, you little faggot!” Big Guy snaps, pointing a finger at Ryuu. 

“Fa--What the  _ fuck?!” _ Ryuu yells again. It’s like this is the only possible response to everything that comes out of this guy’s mouth. What’s with that slur? _ “You  _ were the one who tried to rape a dude!”

A couple of people are looking their way, but no one seems to care what’s happening. Ryuu is starting to back away from Big Guy, who’s turning red and starting to approach Ryuu very fast. Ryuu does not want to get within arm’s reach. Big Guy growls. Ryuu backs away faster. He’d turn and run, but he’s not going to make the mistake of turning his back on the man a second time.

The street gets oddly silent the further Ryuu backs away from the club. Without the music pounding through the walls, the street feels empty. Ryuu didn’t think this huge, noisy city could ever seem empty. “What? You fucking scared of me?” Big Guy taunts, a cruel smile on his face.

Ryuu looks around. There’s no one nearby and this guy is _so much_ _bigger_ than him. What was he thinking? But he can’t let Big Guy see how scared he is. “Back off, dude,” Ryuu growls, still backing away. “I know you don’t want trouble.” 

The guy scoffs. “Trouble? What trouble?” He laughs loudly. “I’m going to break my hands on your face.” 

“I dare you to try,” Ryuu growls, shaking. He’s been in fights before, but nothing like this. This is serious, a no-holds-barred back-alley throwdown where he could get really hurt. This isn’t the same as confronting some bullies, or getting his ass handed to him by his sister.

Big Guy takes another step closer and Ryuu decides he has to stand his ground. There’s no getting out of this. He takes a step forward, winds up with all his strength and lands a roundhouse punch to the guy’s jaw.

Big Guy stumbles. But then he laughs, one hand coming up to rub at his face. Cold sweat breaks out on Ryuu’s back and under his arms, the air suddenly colder. “You’re in for it now, Baldy.”

_ Fuck, _ Ryuu thinks, a moment before his vision goes white from the fist plowing into the side of his head. He staggers from the blow, but manages to keep his feet underneath him. 

He’s not so lucky the second time.


	3. Chapter 3

Yuu’s heart is beating fast, his breathing coming faster. Where’s Ryuu? 

Why did Yuu let Ryuu go off alone?  _ Buddy system! _ That’s what Ryuu said, but why didn’t that apply to  _ him? _ Ryuu should’ve come with them to the bathroom! He shouldn’t have gone off alone. “Ryuu!” he calls, the yell swallowed up by the night. There’s no answer.

“Yuu, wait!” Asahi calls behind him, trying to keep up. Asahi might have longer legs, but Yuu has always been fast. 

“Ryuu!” Yuu calls again, then stops to listen. There’s a sound in the silence of the night -- thumps, grunts. His heart sinks. It sounds like… 

Yuu skids to a stop at the end of an alleyway and for a long, clear, visceral moment, time stops and he can see everything. Usually he feels this way when he can read a hitter particularly well and is waiting for the ball to come to him, but this is so different and about a billion times worse. 

It’s Ryuu. He’s curled up on the ground and some big dude is kicking him. Ryuu looks weak, trying to protect himself with his arms so the kicks don’t land as hard, but he can barely impede the guy. The guy is laughing and taunting Ryuu, bending over and saying something in a high-pitched voice. 

Yuu can’t hear what’s being said; his blood is rushing in his ears, white-hot rage filling him from head to toe.How  _ dare _ this guy treat his best friend, his brother,  _ his Ryuu, _ like this. No one, absolutely  _ no one _ , is allowed to lay a hand on Ryuu. 

Yuu takes two short, sharp breaths through his nose and moves into the alley. The guy has no idea that Yuu is there, so at least Yuu has the element of surprise, not that it matters. Yuu should never, ever have let Ryuu leave the club by himself. And if this ends up with Yuu on the ground next to Ryuu… well… that’s the way it should have been from the start. 

Yuu runs up behind the guy and kicks him in the back of the knee as hard as he can, aiming at the leg he’s standing on as he’s fucking  _ kicking Ryuu,  _ using the ball of his foot for maximum damage. The guy makes a sound of surprise as his knee buckles underneath him. Yuu kicks him again between the shoulder blades to get him down and he falls to his knees, catching himself on his hands. The guy is too close to Ryuu, so Yuu has to wait for him to move. No way Yuu can move him away himself. 

The guy growls and turns, getting up onto one knee like he’s going to stand. “What the fu--” He doesn’t get to finish his question because Yuu’s foot collides with the side of his head. 

The guy makes a sound of pain and looks dazed, but he’s still up. Yuu doesn’t wait for any more chances. He grabs the guy by the hair and drives a knee into his nose. Blood immediately starts pouring out, splattering Yuu’s jeans, but it’s enough. The crack of his nose is quickly followed by a dazed groan and Yuu releases him, letting him land loudly on his face. At least he’s face down so he won’t choke on his blood. 

Then he turns to Ryuu.

The relentless urgency that drove him when dealing with the bastard drains out of him as suddenly as it came, leaving Yuu empty and weak. He feels himself tremble, looking down at his Ryuu curled up on the ground, helpless, chest rising and falling shallowly and a thin wheeze coming with every breath. He drops to his knees beside Ryuu and crouches to him, frantic to help, unsure what to do. “Ryuu,” he hears himself saying. He reaches out to touch, but he’s afraid to hurt. His eyes burn. _“Ryuu…”_

“Come on.” Asahi swoops down onto the scene. “Great job. We have to move.”

Yuu blinks up. Asahi’s towering form is already kneeling, slipping an arm under Ryuu’s knees and another under his shoulders. Ryuu mutters, clearly only half-conscious. Asahi takes a deep breath, chest expanding with effort, and lifts Ryuu into his arms.

As soon as he’s moved, Ryuu lets out a groan that cuts through Yuu like a knife. “Be gentle with him, Asahi!” he barks. He knows he’s yelling at Asahi unfairly, but he also knows that Asahi will understand. “Why are you moving him?”

Asahi levels Yuu with a look. ‘Senpai’ flashes through Yuu’s mind. “You just knocked a guy out. If someone hasn’t already called the police, he’s going to wake up and attack us again, and then you're gonna have to knock him down again, and we don’t know if hitting him again might kill him.” The shock of hearing gentle Asahi say  _ that  _ is like ice water, and it has the effect of getting Yuu moving again, following after Asahi, who has already started out of the alley. “We have to get  _ out of here.  _ As far from here as we can.”

“Okay,” Yuu says numbly, barely keeping up with Asahi's long strides, and they move.


	4. Chapter 4

Asahi leads them, Yuu doesn’t know how, to a little park that’s secluded and silent. In the dim yellow light of a lamp-post, Asahi lowers himself carefully to the grass, cradling Ryuu, whose head is lolling in the crook of his elbow. “We need to check if he needs a hospital,” Asahi mutters. “Tanaka-kun? Can you hear me?”

There’s a weak groan in response, followed by coughing. The sound claws at Yuu’s heart. “Asahi…” he whispers.

“Yeah. Tanaka-kun? You in there?” Asahi hitches Ryuu higher up in his arms. Yuu crowds closer and takes both Ryuu’s hands in one of his, using his other hand to cup the back of Ryuu’s shaved head. There’s a lump marring the smoothness of the stubbled scalp and Yuu flinches, gentling his touch and softly supporting Ryuu’s head with just his fingertips. In the lamplight, he can see his face: his left cheekbone is split and visibly purpling, the eye on that side already swollen shut, more bruising forming lumps along the stretched skin on the side of his jaw. His eyes are blinking rapidly, then they drift shut.

“Hey, Ryuu,” Yuu whispers, pushing down his panic. “It’s me. It’s Yuu. Huh? You’re with me and Asahi. Ryuu?” 

Ryuu’s eyes flutter, like he’s fighting for consciousness. Yuu cradles his injured head more tenderly in his cupped hand. “Hey, man. It’s okay. You’re okay. It’s over. It’s all over.” He swallows down a lump in his throat. “We kicked his ass, he’s not gonna hurt you anymore. You’re safe, okay?” Ryuu’s hands are so cold in his, his breathing fast and wheezing, his scalp covered in cold sweat. Yuu leans forward and brings their foreheads together, feeling his eyes burn. “Ah, Ryuu…”

“We’ve got you.” Yuu almost startles at Asahi’s deep, comforting voice. He’d half-forgotten he was there, protecting them both. He’s still cradling Ryuu, still keeping him off the cold ground. Yuu draws back as Asahi shifts Ryuu so he’s breathing easier, and that unsettling wheeze eases. Then he moves in again and takes the hand that’s on the outside, trailing on the ground, rubbing it in both of his. He wants to touch the bruises on Ryuu’s face, but he cringes at the thought of hurting him, so he brings his hand up to support Ryuu’s head again. Then Asahi presses two fingers of one big hand into the carotid artery in Ryuu’s tilted-back neck, falling silent in concentration for a minute. “Your heartbeat’s steady. That’s good. You’re going to be okay, Tanaka-kun. We’re both here and we’ve got you.”

Ryuu mumbles something incoherent. That should be reassuring, but his eyelids are at half-mast, mostly white showing beneath them. Yuu’s not sure how conscious he is at this point, if at all. But as Asahi keeps murmuring ressurances, Ryuu’s hand jerks out of Yuu’s, coming up to fist in Asahi’s shirt. “Asahi-san.” Ryuu’s voice is a broken breath.

“Yes, Tanaka-kun?” Asahi bends lower to Ryuu. Yuu blinks. He hadn’t thought they were close. Hell of a time to find out.

“Don’t let him… get Noyassan.”

Asahi huffs a laugh at that, and Yuu sees a tear fall down his face. Asahi’s crying?! “You mean, don’t let Noyassan get  _ him.  _ You should have seen him, Tanaka-kun. It was magnificent.”

“I’m right here, dipshit!” Yuu snaps. “You worry about yourself!”

“Y...?” Ryuu jerks and his head whips around to Yuu, and the sudden movement wrenches a groan from him that Yuu never wanted to hear from any person ever, let alone  _ Ryuu.  _ The sound twists his insides. 

“Dammit!” Yuu hisses, bending uselessly over Ryuu. “You just got beat to hell, Ryuu, calm the fuck down!” He reaches out and folds his hand over Ryuu’s, still clenched in Asahi’s shirt. “I’m right here. I’m right here.” His voice drops to a murmur and he rubs his thumb gently - very gently - back and forth over Ryuu’s injured scalp. “You’re the one who got hurt.” 

“Huh,” Ryuu sighs. The corner of his split lip quirks up in a half-smile. “Yeah…” His hand disengages from Asahi’s shirt and falls away. Yuu’s just making a grab for it when Ryuu’s head falls to the side, limp in Yuu’s hand.

“Ryuu!” Yuu cries out in alarm. “Stay with me, man!” He fumbles for Ryuu’s limp hand and grips it tight. Asahi’s question is still in his mind, and it’s possible Ryuu will still need a hospital. “Ryuu?” he whispers, throat thick.

“Tanaka-san, if you can’t wake up, we’re going to have to take you to the hospital.”

“Nuh.” Ryuu’s eyes are still closed, but his head moves weakly in Yuu’s hold. “Gerrin… trouble.”

“We don’t care about getting in  _ trouble, _ ” Yuu snaps, meeting Asahi’s eyes and getting a brief nod of agreement. “We care about getting you  _ help.” _

“Yeah but…” Ryuu slurs. “I nuh…”

“Tanaka-kun.” Asahi adjusts Ryuu so that he’s more sitting than reclining, Yuu moving his hand along with him so he’s still supporting Ryuu’s head. “Can you open your eyes?”

“Please, Ryuu.” Yuu doesn’t care how pleading he sounds. “Open your eyes? For me? Please?”

Ryuu takes several short, shallow breaths, then slits his eyes open. He grunts and tenses as if opening them causes him pain. His fingers clench around Yuu’s hand, and Yuu holds on tightly with an answering grip. His bleary eyes meet Yuu’s, and Yuu’s heart wrenches all over again at how his beaten eye is red and bloodshot. “Fuck,” he whispers. “I hurt.”

It’s another knife in Yuu’s chest, but at least Ryuu is conscious and coherent. “I know,” Yuu murmurs, almost crying with relief. He moves in, pressing his cheek to Ryuu’s unhurt one. “I know it hurts, man, I know,” he whispers into his ear. His voice breaks. “You’re gonna be okay.”

“Wha’ happened?” Ryuu whispers into Yuu’s hair. “I don’t…” This close, Yuu can feel him trembling. “I was so scared.”

Yuu slips his hand out from under Ryuu’s head and wraps one arm around him, carefully, noticing that Asahi’s holding him just that bit tighter, too. “You’re safe,” Asahi says from above them. “Noyassan is a good protector.”

Yuu warms with pride, an instant before it hits him: he should have kept this from happening. He should have protected Ryuu the way Ryuu always protects him. And now he’s… “Where else are you hurt?” he asks, moving away so he can see Ryuu’s face as he speaks to him.

Ryuu draws in a breath and starts coughing again. “Easy,” says Asahi, holding him upright. Yuu grips his hand tightly and holds onto his shoulder, supporting him through the spasm. Ryuu groans as the movement jars his injured ribs and Yuu clings on desperately, wishing he could ease his pain. “Breathe slowly,” Asahi instructs. Ryuu obeys and the spasm eases, a little.

Yuu meets his best friend’s suffering eyes. “Ryuu,” he asks seriously, “he got your face, I can see it, but where does it hurt that I can’t see?” 

Ryuu sighs, panting shallowly, resting his head back on Asahi’s arm as though coughing has drained what little energy he had left. “Ribs,” he manages to say. “Front and…” he gasps for breath, “and back.” He shivers. “Cold.”

“Okay.” Asahi sounds authoritative. “Yuu, you take him.”

They lean close together and Yuu welcomes Ryuu’s limp body into his arms. This close, he can feel the tremors that rack him, the rapid, shallow breathing, the cold sweat. He gathers him close to his chest, noticing peripherally that Asahi’s stripping off his jacket. Asahi bends and gathers the jacket around Ryuu, wrapping it tight, Yuu holding it there with his arms. Ryuu lets out a grateful moan at the warmth. Yuu bends over him as close as he can and rubs his arm with his free hand to warm him. “‘S better,” Ryuu whispers. “Thanks…”

Yuu’s eyes burn. “Anything for you,” he says fiercely.

“I’m gonna check his ribs,” Asahi says to Yuu, and Yuu’s reminded that Asahi took a course on first-aid in the summer. “If nothing’s broken, maybe we should get him home. Get him warm.” He looks Ryuu in his (bleary) eyes. “Tanaka-kun, can I look at your ribs, maybe touch a few places? I really kinda,” Asahi swallows, “need to see if we have to take you to a hospital.”

Ryuu snuggles his head into Yuu’s chest. “Okay.”

Yuu strokes Ryuu’s head, more than a little alarmed by the easy acquiescence. Asahi moves his jacket out of the way, then lifts Ryuu’s shirt, and Yuu can’t help a gasp. It’s already black and blue, with deep bruising where the toe of a boot landed. “Oh, Ryuu,” he murmurs. Asahi touches some of the deepest bruises, and Yuu holds Ryuu’s hand and murmurs to him as he flinches and gasps in pain. “He’ll just be a minute,” he says softly, with a death-glare at Asahi.

“I don’t think he broke anything,” Asahi finally says, running a hand through his hair, strands from his bun by now loose and flopping around everywhere. “Can I just check your back, Tanaka-kun?”

“Okay,” Ryuu breathes. He tries to sit up, but falls back against Yuu’s arm, panting. “Sorry, I’m gonna…” he gasps, “need some help…”

Asahi smoothly places his hands under Ryuu’s arms and bends him forward, which is good, because Yuu’s momentarily overwhelmed with the fact that Ryuu’s hurt so bad he can’t  _ move.  _ Then Asahi lifts Ryuu’s shirt and everything stops. “Oh, shit…” Asahi gasps.

“It’s a mess, huh,” Ryuu mutters, but Yuu isn’t listening. There are actual  _ bootprints  _ on Ryuu’s back. He wasn’t just kicked - he was  _ stomped.  _

Yuu’s blood boils so hard he can’t see anything for a moment. “I should have broken more than his fucking nose,” he whispers.

Asahi’s touching the bruises again, lightly, checking for broken bones. He listens to Ryuu’s breathing, and finally he lifts his hands and nods. “Lungs look clear, no breaks. I think we’re good to take him home,” he says. “What do you say, Tanaka-kun? Lie down and get some sleep?”

“Sounds like heaven,” Ryuu mutters into Yuu’s shoulder. “I’m ready for bed,” he pants, “personally.”

“I’ll get a taxi,” Asahi volunteers, gesturing to the gate of the park where they came in. He meets Yuu’s eyes. “I’ll be back if you have trouble helping him walk.”

“We won’t need help,” says Yuu. Maybe he sounds overconfident, but he’s  _ got  _ this, dammit. He can take care of Ryuu.

It’s agony getting Ryuu to his feet. Ryuu is really, really, really fucking bad off, and the slightest movement gives him pain. At first, Yuu tries staying still and letting Ryuu use him as support to get to his feet, but he’s trembling so badly his legs won’t support him. So Yuu has to lift him up. He’s as gentle as he knows how, murmuring encouragement and keeping Ryuu upright with an arm around his waist and Ryuu’s arm around his shoulder, but this close, he can feel him wincing and gasping, and each little choked-off whimper knifes straight through his  _ fucking  _ heart. When he’s almost all the way upright, Ryuu tries to straighten up and lets out an actual shout. “Shit! What? Ryuu!” Yuu finds himself saying helplessly, reaching out to hold Ryuu. “Are you okay? Here, hold on to me!”

“Ahh,” Ryuu gasps, bending over and leaning hard on Yuu. “It just… hurts.” Yuu holds his hand helplessly, his other arm around Ryuu’s waist, as Ryuu bends low to rest his forehead on Yuu’s shoulder. “God, Yuu, it  _ hurts…” _

“I’m sorry.” Yuu wants to cry, and he’d do anything, anything to take Ryuu’s pain away. He holds Ryuu’s hand tighter. “I’m so sorry that asshole hurt you, I wish I could kick his ass, I wish we’d never gone to that dumb club…”

But Ryuu shakes his head. “I…” he pants, still leaning on Yuu. “I’d do it again.”


	5. Chapter 5

Yuu never had a chance to ask what that mysterious statement meant. Asahi showed up with a taxi waiting outside and they got into it (slowly and painfully, but hey, they got it done, so it counts as a win), stopped at a convenience store to buy ice packs, and somehow managed to sneak back in. (It stomped on Yuu’s heart to hear Ryuu biting back his groans as they sneaked back inside so as not to wake anyone up, but again, they got it done, so it counts as a win.) It was Asahi who came up with the bright idea of getting some spare bedrolls out of storage and setting them up in the corridor (luckily, they’re in a hallway that ends in a dead-end) so as not to wake up the others if they need to take their time getting comfortable. They pile three bedrolls on top of each other for Ryuu, to insulate his beaten body from the hard floor. Yuu brings water and Asahi gives Ryuu some aspirin from his bag.

They push their bedrolls together, placing Ryuu’s in the center. They lay him down carefully, then Yuu gives him an ice pack to hold against his face and another for his right side, holding another himself against the worst of the bruises on Ryuu’s left. Asahi brings blankets and they attempt to get settled down.

Soon, though, Ryuu starts to shiver. “Here, get warmed up,” Asahi says, fitting actions to words by fetching an extra blanket from the closet and covering Ryuu up with it over his regular blanket. 

But Ryuu’s still shivering. Yuu doesn’t know much about shock, but he knows it can kill you and it starts with the person feeling cold. Out of desperation, he crawls up onto the bedroll next to Ryuu, tosses the ice pack aside and puts an arm around him over the blankets. “Hey, Ryuu,” he whispers. “You better be okay or I’ll have Neesan kick your ass.”

Ryuu just whimpers in a most un-Tanaka-like way, curling into himself a little more protectively. His grip tightens on the ice pack. Yuu thinks he may die from the torture of seeing Ryuu this way. Ryuu isn’t  _ supposed  _ to be weak and vulnerable like this! He’s always been the rock Yuu could build his lighthouse on, his safety, his anchor. Seeing him like this… It’s like watching your house burn down or your parents’ car crash. 

But then he pulls himself together. So many times Ryuu has been his strength, and now it’s his turn to be strong for Ryuu. “It’s okay,” Yuu whispers, rubbing Ryuu’s arm gently. Oh man, he’s shaking. “Shh. Shh.” It feels more natural the more he does it, to protect Ryuu, to be strong for him. “You’re safe,” he whispers. “I’m here. I got you.” He rubs his arm. “I’m here.” 

His heart does a little flip when Ryuu lays the ice packs aside and curls into him, tucking his head under Yuu’s chin. “Don’t leave me, Noyassan,” he mutters, slurred.

“Never.” Yuu bends and presses a kiss to Ryuu’s stubbly scalp. “Never.”

“Was so scared,” Ryuu whispers.

Yuu’s heart wrenches. “It was scary,” he confides. “I was scared too, seeing him uh. Seeing you. Seeing that.” Ryuu makes a small sound and burrows into him deeper. “I got you,” Yuu says, the fierce flame reigniting. “I’m never gonna let anyone do that to you again. You don’t have to be scared anymore. You just rest, okay? Just rest. I got you.” They hold each other tight, breathing.

There’s a soft rustle as Asahi comes back from the supply closet with a fourth? fifth? blanket, covering them both up with it and then settling on Ryuu’s other side. He reaches out and puts an arm around both of them. “You were right to be scared, Tanaka-san,” he says softly. “He was so big, and he could have been armed. Who wouldn’t be scared if some random crazy attacked them on the street?”

“Wasn’t random.” Ryuu’s voice is getting sleepy, his face muffled in Yuu’s chest. “Wanted… wan’d to get back at me.”

“What?” Ryuu may be dropping off, but Yuu’s suddenly wide awake. “Get back at you? For what?”

“For… what I… Yama…” And Ryuu’s asleep.

Yuu exchanges a bewildered glance with Asahi over the top of Ryuu’s head. Asahi shrugs as if to say  _ I don’t know what he’s talking about either.  _

It takes Yuu a long time to fall asleep. When his eyes finally drift shut, Ryuu’s chest gently rising and falling under his arm, he can see Asahi’s eyes still open in the darkness, watching over them.

* * *

It’s dawn when Yuu comes to the realization he should have reached last night: there’s no question of acting like nothing has happened.

Asahi woke him up earlier, whispering, “It’s half an hour till they wake us all up,” and Yuu reluctantly woke Ryuu. He was blinking and bleary, and the entire left side of his face is almost unrecognizable, but even then, Yuu ignored Asahi’s somber gaze and chirped something stupid about hiding Ryuu from the rest of the camp until they’re on the bus. How he was going to achieve this feat involved a plan in his head that included a hoodie and a lot of hiding in toilet stalls, but he honestly thought they could make it.

Up until the moment when he says to Ryuu, “C’mon, let’s get you up.”

The fear that flashes through Ryuu’s eyes should have  _ told  _ him to back off, and when he’s alone later he’ll blame himself for ignoring the signs, but he just takes Ryuu’s hand and pulls him up.

And Ryuu cries out in pain and doubles over, dry-heaving over the side of his bedroll.

“Hey, easy, easy.” Asahi wraps his arms around Ryuu from where he’s sitting up behind him, and supports him while Yuu’s still staring, appalled. What the fuck has he done? “Just take it easy,” Asahi murmurs, soft and reassuring. Over Ryuu’s shoulder, he meets Yuu’s eyes with that same somber gaze.

The pained retching seems to go on forever. Ryuu’s holding his sides as he heaves, half-sobbing as his stomach spasms agonizingly against his bruised ribs. Yuu drops to his knees facing Ryuu and clasps his shoulders tight, letting Ryuu’s head drop to his own shoulder as he finally stops heaving and goes limp, exhausted with effort and pain. “Yuu…” Ryuu whispers. “I’m sorry… I don’t know what to do…” He sobs weakly. “Everything hurts. I can’t move. I’m sorry I got you into this mess…” He swallows. “Look, I’ll say it was just me who snuck out, okay?” He tries to twist his head to meet Asahi’s eyes, but can’t manage it and slumps back down again. “You…” he gasps for breath. “You don’t have to get into it, I won’t say you were with me, but I’m sorry, everything hurts. I can’t fucking _ move…” _

And the fire surges up in Yuu that filled him when he was taking down Ryuu’s attacker: the certain knowledge that  _ nothing and no-one  _ is going to stop him making it okay for his best friend. “I gotta do something real quick,” he murmurs, pressing his cheek to Ryuu’s and running a gentle hand over his head. “You just hang tight, don’t make any sudden moves, stay with Asahi-san, okay?”

“Uh…” Ryuu’s broken out in a sweat, and now he’s panting just with the effort of staying upright. “Okay.”

Yuu lowers Ryuu gently to the mattress, taking care not to jar his injuries. Ryuu sighs when he’s settled and closes his eyes. Yuu pulls the covers up around him and looks up to meet Asahi’s doubtful gaze. “Stay with him,” he commands, smoothing the blankets over Ryuu’s chest. “I’ll be right back.” Then he’s off and running down the corridor.

* * *

Keishin’s up before his alarm, the faint glow of dawn enough to wake him after too many early shifts helping on the farm before he has to go to morning practice.  _ Morning practice.  _ Now there’s a phrase he never thought he’d hear again after he finished high school. And now it’s back in his life, and he can’t think of anything better.

He stretches lazily: it’s been a hard week for everyone, and his team lost all their matches, but he wouldn’t trade it for the world. Watching his kids grow and thrive, slowly develop their skills,  _ evolve…  _ It’s humbling and exhilarating all at once. And this morning, no training, no duties, when they’re due to take the bus after breakfast and go back home, it’s a pleasure to be awake and just relax until he has to…

...is that a knock on his door?

Suddenly alert, he listens intently. Sure enough, there’s an urgent tapping. He swings his legs over the side of the bed and somehow aims his feet accurately at his slippers. “Come in,” he calls, softly in deference to the fact that everyone’s still sleeping, except him and whatever lunatic is knocking at his door. Could it be Ittetsu? What would he want so early in the morning?

The door slides open to reveal Nishinoya-kun, who immediately bows so low it’s a wonder he doesn’t tip over. Keishin will confess to having a soft spot for Noya-kun: he works hard and plays hard, his mental attitude is stellar, and he’s one of the emotional backbones of the team when the going gets tough. “Yes, Noya-kun?”

“Ukai-san.” Noya-kun straightens, something wild in his eyes. “I need your help.”


	6. Chapter 6

Asahi knows one thing: life with Noyassan is never boring.

Yeah, he still calls him Noyassan even in his head, although they’ve had their tongues down each other’s throats. It’s just hard not to respect Noyassan, hard not to view him as a legend, as something larger than life.

Hard not to care for the people Noyassan loves. Like Tanaka-kun, who was so insistent that Asahi go with Noyassan to protect him from any possible predators… and ended up becoming prey himself. 

_ Not random. Wanted to get back at me. _

That implies - Asahi winces as he accidentally looks too close at Tanaka-kun’s tight, swollen cheek - it implies that Tanaka-kun wronged that asshole somehow. Whatever Tanaka-kun could have possibly done, of one thing Asahi is certain: there’s no imaginable way that whatever he did merited this savage a vengeance. Tanaka-kun may be loud and boisterous - much like Noyassan, Asahi thinks affectionately - but he’s decent and protective and loyal to a fault. That big guy  _ earned  _ Noyassan’s knee to his face. But there’s no way the Tanaka Ryuunosuke that Asahi knows did anything to earn… Asahi adjusts the blankets around Tanaka-kun… what was done to him.

There are footsteps coming down the corridor. “Asahi-san!” Noyassan calls softly.

Asahi turns and stops dead. “Azumane-kun,” says Coach Ukai, a step behind Noyassan. “I heard about Tanaka-kun’s accident a-- _ oh my god.” _ Ukai-san stops dead, looking wide-eyed at Tanaka-kun’s face. 

“Coach,” says Asahi and makes as much of a bow as he can from his kneeling position. 

But Ukai-san was only still for a moment. He’s already circled around him and is kneeling to Tanaka-kun. “Really, Tanaka-kun? Falling down the stairs? What a silly thing to do!”

Tanaka-kun blearily opens his one good eye. When he sees who it is, his eyes widen and he flounders to get up, then groans, falling back to the pillows and clenching his fists, breathing hard through his teeth. Noyassan pales to hear him groan, wincing like he’s been stabbed, and reaches for him, stroking his shoulders. “Ryuu,” he whispers tenderly. “It’s okay. Coach Ukai knows you fell down the stairs.”

“Huh?” His breath still fast and shallow, Tanaka-kun opens his eye again, cautiously. 

Coach Ukai is giving him a strained, encouraging smile. “You should know better than to fall down the stairs at your age, Tanaka-kun,  _ really.”  _ He clears his throat. “Looks like you, uh, smacked your face against the banister pretty hard, too!”

Tanaka-kun blinks. He looks doubtfully from Coach Ukai to Noyassan, then back again.

“I mean, I know it’s dark and you don’t know the school,” Ukai-san continues with a confident gesture, “but you should look where you’re going when you get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night!”

Tanaka-kun is openly staring at them both now, as best he can with his swollen eyes. Asahi is sure he’s doing exactly the same.

“That banister really did a number on your eye. And lying in the stairwell all night! It’s just a good thing Noya-kun here found you before the others woke up. If the other students had found you lying unconscious at the bottom of the stairs like that, they might have panicked!”

Tanaka-kun looks from one to the other one final time, and then his face crumples and he starts to cry.

“No, no, Ryuu. Don’t cry, please don’t cry.” Noyassan bends to Tanaka-kun, brushing his tears away with his fingertips. “Please don’t cry.”

“We need to get you to the clinic before the others wake up,” says Ukai-san, and neither Asahi nor Noyassan miss Tanaka-kun’s fearful flinch at the mention of being moved. “Noya-kun, you can come with us. Azumane-kun, can you get things cleaned up here and explain to Takeda-sensei to call me when he wakes up?”

“Yes, of course,” Asahi says, then adds with feeling, “Thank you, Ukai-san.”

Ukai-san doesn’t say ‘You’re welcome.’ He just raises his eyebrows, sighs with the shadow of a wry smile, and bends to support Tanaka-kun through the painful process of getting up, Noyassan already squatting with both arms round him and coaxing him to put one arm around his neck.


	7. Chapter 7

“You’re sure he fell down the stairs?” the small doctor repeats, pen poised over her clipboard.

Keishin grits his teeth. “That’s what he says. I have no reason to doubt him.”

“His  _ bones  _ are bruised.”

“It was a long flight of stairs.”

“There are bootprints on his back.”

“Yeah, some of the students store their spare shoes on the stairs. Trying to break them of the habit, but really, high school kids, who can make them do anything?” Keishin tries for a disarming smile.

“I’m sorry, Ukai-san,” says the doctor - Midori-sensei, he seems to remember - “but it’s always prudent to inquire into a minor’s home life, especially in the case of injuries like these.”

“He hasn’t  _ been  _ home at all for a week,” Keishin smiles confidently. “We’ve all been at a training camp. Volleyball, you know.”

“A training camp. So he’s been in your care for a week?”

“That’s right.”

“I see.” Midori-sensei looks at him coolly. “And what are your views on the physical punishment of students, Ukai-san?”

Keishin’s jaw drops.  _ “What?”  _ he gasps. Does she think  _ he-- _

“I apologize for the question,” says the doctor, “but sports coaches are some of the worst offenders. It wouldn’t be the first time I treated a student for injuries inflicted by a coach for some school club.” She sighs. “One coach beat a student unconscious with the previous year’s trophy for failing to win it again that year.”

Keishin feels sick. The thought of anyone laying a hand on his kids... “No, sensei,  _ no.  _ I would  _ never…” _

The doctor nods. “What about his teachers? Is there anyone at the camp who might have done this to him?”

Ittetsu’s soft, sweet smile flashes through Keishin’s mind. Kindly, considerate Ittetsu, who’s always going above and beyond, who gives up his weekends and vacations for the team. Giving, affectionate Ittetsu, who would have paid out of his own savings for the team bus, who comforted the boys along with Keishin when they lost to Aoba Johsai, who pestered Keishin endlessly to join a team that’s become the light of his life. “His teachers,” Keishin says firmly, “would be just as appalled as I am by the mere suggestion.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” says Midori-sensei. “I believe you. That said, I would encourage you to investigate whether he’s being bullied at school.” She half-bows. “High school students can be cruel, and they hide things from teachers pretty effectively.”

Relieved, Keishin bows back. “I’ll look into it,” he says. “Thank you.”


	8. Chapter 8

The doctor injects Tanaka-kun with something that makes the lines of pain fade from around his good eye and the side of his face that’s recognizable. He slumps in his wheelchair and Noya-kun’s shoulders relax. The two boys hold hands unashamedly as the nurse wheels Tanaka-kun out to the taxi-rank, and Keishin lets Noya-kun half-lift Tanaka-kun into the back seat, arms bracketed protectively around him like he’s something fragile that’s going to break. Which isn’t too far off the mark: rest for a week, Midori-sensei said, then a week of working up  _ gradually  _ to more strenuous activities, with strict injunctions to stop if there was pain. He’s going to have to watch the boy like a hawk: “gradually” doesn’t mean much when you’re sixteen, he knows from experience. Although with Noya-kun stationed like a vigilant guardian at Tanaka’s side, maybe Keishin won’t have it that hard after all. He watches Tanaka-kun sleep on Noya-kun’s shoulder, secure in his friend’s embrace.

The school is deserted but for the support staff when they return to pack their things. He’s spoken to Ittetsu and arranged for them to return on the Shinkansen. Ittetsu has allowed Asahi-kun to stay behind, mainly because he begged so hard to be allowed to wait for them, and he’s a third year and so is allowed a little more leeway… and Keishin may have put in a word for him with Ittetsu, too. Not that anyone heard them talking.

Reconciling himself to paying a small fortune - taxis in Tokyo are  _ ridiculously expensive  _ compared to their counterparts back home - he makes the cab wait, letting Tanaka-kun sleep in the back seat until they’ve packed up his things and theirs, after which the cab will take them all to the station. The Shinkansen is the best call: there’s no way the kid would be able to handle the jostling of the bus ride without agonizing suffering, the beating he’s sustained. His MRI’s came back clean, but the doctor made it very clear that bruising this extensive isn’t to be taken lightly. He hasn’t woken at all since he dropped off in the back of the taxicab, the relief from pain probably bringing him crashing down. 

Keishin’s going to get the story out of Tanaka-kun for sure, he thinks as he bids the school staff goodbye and prepares to put on his street shoes. Young Noya-kun told him faithfully everything he knew - Keishin wouldn’t help if he was left in the dark, and Noya-kun is smart enough to recognize this - but it’s clear that even Noya-kun doesn’t know the full story. He’ll get it out of Tanaka-kun, for sure. But he’ll let the poor kid get his rest for now.

* * *

The alley’s dark. Ryuu’s running scared. He’s scared, so scared, and he doesn’t know what of.

Then he stumbles into a streetlight. In the yellow haze, he can see a hulking figure looming over a smaller one, holding him down, thrusting into him. Ryuu’s heart freezes because he knows  _ he knows  _ who it is. He rushes forward with a shout, jerking back as there’s suddenly a giant fist in his face and he failed he couldn’t stop it he  _ couldn’t stop it-- _

“Huh!” He jerks awake as the taxi rocks from side to side with the opening of the back door. There are the muffled thumps of bags being put in the trunk. Yuu slides in across the seat, turned toward him.  _ “Yuu.” _

Yuu’s intense hazel eyes seem to see through him all the way into his nightmares. “Ryuu? What’s the matter?”

Ryuu lets himself reach out, and Yuu meets him halfway, pulling him close and guiding the unhurt side of his face down to rest in the crook of his neck. Ryuu nestles in, feeling a lot less lost and desperate. “Don’t leave me alone for too long,” he blurts, then adds hastily, “just for a while.” He’s not ashamed to need Yuu, but there’s nothing wrong with retaining a little dignity. 

“You dreamed about it, huh.” 

That’s the shitty thing about having a best friend: they can see right through you. “Yeah,” Ryuu sighs. He lets himself slide down so he’s burrowing into Yuu’s side, and puts an arm around his best friend’s waist. “Only… only it was you.” He swallows, clutching at a handful of Yuu’s shirt. “That’s… why I wanted you to, to stay close.” He  _ trusts  _ Yuu, he  _ does,  _ he’s just not  _ used  _ to being this needy. “Just till, uh, till I quit dreaming about it.”

He didn’t expect Yuu to press his face against him softly, cheek resting against Ryuu’s scalp, didn’t expect his hand to come up and gently massage the back of his neck. “You think,” Yuu’s voice is surprisingly unsteady, “you’re gonna be able to get rid of me?” There’s a laugh that sounds kind of like a sob. “You heard Ukai-san and the sensei: a week of rest. That’s a week of me hounding your ass and being there every moment Neesan isn’t. She and I are gonna be fighting over who gets to spend more time with you. You’re gonna  _ beg  _ me to get lost before you get yourself five minutes without me.”

Ryuu breathes, deep, enjoying the absence of pain and the security of being in the arms of his best friend. “Bold of you to assume I’d beg you to get lost.”

Yuu strokes his shoulders and presses his face against Ryuu’s scalp in what feels like a kiss. “Bold of you to assume I’d get lost on your say-so.” Something damp touches Ryuu’s scalp where Yuu’s cheek is smooshed against it, and he doesn’t mention it, because his eyes are burning too.

He lets himself rest in Yuu’s embrace, enjoying the way his friend’s hands stroke and soothe him gently. It’s kind of strange, but not in a bad way. He’s always been really protective of Yuu, and kinda doesn’t remember that he’s ever  _ leaned  _ on him, well, not this hard, anyway. It feels nice. It also feels really, really nice that nothing hurts, especially after being in near-constant pain since yesterday. He hopes the painkillers take forever to wear off. He could get used to this. “Yuu, thank you, man, really,” he murmurs, letting himself melt into his friend’s hold and snuggling in tighter. “For Ukai-san, for the hospital, for…” He realizes there’s a gap in his memory. He remembers the pain and disorientation of being beaten and falling to the concrete, then it stopped, then Yuu and Asahi-san were there. “How’d you get rid of that guy, anyway?” he asks. He lowers his voice so the taxi-driver won’t hear. “Did you call the police?”

But before Yuu can answer, Asahi-san’s crowding into the back seat, Ukai-san taking the front. Ryuu closes his eyes and lets Yuu keep him safe as they drive to the station.


	9. Chapter 9

“So who’s going to tell me what happened first?”

Three pairs of eyes look at him like a trio of squirrels in headlights. Keishin has to work very hard not to sigh. They must have known this was coming. That’s why he splurged for Green Class tickets for the four of them, that’s why he rotated the seats to face each other as soon as they got on the train. Did they think he booked Green Class just because the soft seats are a little more comfortable for Tanaka-kun? --well, maybe he did, a little, the kid just got out of the  _ hospital,  _ for crying out loud. But that’s not the whole reason. The reason is this: Keishin is not getting off the Shinkansen without a full, complete and accurate account of what the  _ hell  _ happened last night.

Instead, he’s still getting the Wide-Eyed Shock stare from the three of them. They’re unpacking the lunches he bought them from the station - bento boxes for the three of them, noodle soup for Tanaka-kun, because Keishin isn’t at all sure he can chew without pain. Keishin’s taken his share of fists to the face himself - although not, admittedly, anything nearly as bad as the injuries he’s seen today - and he knows it always takes at least a day or two until you’re comfortable eating normally. Very probably longer, in Tanaka’s case. He’ll have a word about his diet with Nishinoya-kun, who doesn’t look like he’ll be leaving Tanaka-kun’s side anytime soon. Even now he’s sitting next to him and turned toward him, watching and poised to move if his injured friend should need anything. Or he was, until Keishin demanded to know what happened just now.

“Boys,” Keishin tries again. “I’m not going to punish you. Nothing we say will go farther than this compartment. We all make mistakes, and I won’t think less of you. I was your age once, too.” He meets each of their eyes. “But I do have to know what happened last night.”

Tanaka-kun takes a big gulp of his soup and lowers the bowl, meeting Keishin’s eyes. “It was my fault.”

“What?” Nishinoya-kun exclaims, so loudly he looks around to see if he’s disturbed any of the car’s occupants. Luckily, they’re traveling at a dead time of day, and they have the entire carriage all to themselves. Azumane-kun, too, makes a soft sound of protest. “How can it be your fault? That asshole was  _ pounding  _ on you!”

“You don’t know the story, Noyassan.” Tanaka-kun looks down into his soup bowl. His arms are beginning to shake with the strain of holding it upright, and Noya-kun reaches out and takes it from him without being asked. His arms drop between his knees in relief, but his battered face is raised and there’s determination in his one good eye. “It was my fault,” he repeats. “But I’d do it again.”

As Azumane-kun and Noya-kun stare at their friend, Keishin decides he’d better assert some control over the situation. “Finish your soup before it gets cold,” he instructs. “You boys too, finish your lunch. We can talk when you’re done eating.”

As they finish their meal in uneasy silence, Keishin wonders what Tanaka-kun meant. Getting into bar brawls isn’t necessarily a stain on someone’s character - in fact, it’s practically a rite of passage. Heaven knows, Keishin’s done his share of stupid things when he was younger. And someone as hot-headed as Tanaka, well, all it would take is someone looking at him wrong, combined with drink, to get him fighting. He wonders if it was Azumane-kun who ended the fight, and about Noya-kun’s role in all this. His concern for Tanaka-kun is palpable, and rather touching, even if his hot-headed friend throws punches first and asks questions afterward.

The main thing Keishin is concerned about is, well, bullying. He meant it when he said he wouldn’t think less of them - they may be young and aggressive, but they’re basically good kids. It’s the fact that they’re good kids that has his gut clenching at the thought that they might have hurt someone unfairly, or ganged up on someone. He wouldn’t have thought it of these boys, Azumane-san in particular. But he’s not surprised that it was Tanaka-kun who started the fight. When he’s heard the full story, Keishin resolves to play Wise Older Authority Figure - a role he doesn’t particularly enjoy, mainly because he doesn’t see himself as  _ any  _ of those things! - and have a few words with Tanaka-kun and the others about respecting other people’s boundaries. Getting into barroom brawls is forgivable when you’re sixteen, but not so much so once you go on into your twenties.

They finish their meal, the kids lingering a bit over their food, and pack up the trash to throw out as they leave the train. When they’re done, Keishin straightens a little in his seat and the boys do likewise, Tanaka-kun in particular looking like he’s facing a firing squad. “It was my fault,” he repeats, unprompted. “Noyassan and Azumane-san were on the dance floor and I was drinking…” Keishin keeps in the lecture about underage drinking. He didn’t really think they’d have been going to a bar in Tokyo and sticking to milk. He wonders how drunk Tanaka-kun was. “Then I saw a guy who looked like Kageyama. At first I thought what the f-- what the heck, you know? And there was another guy all over him - sorry to say that, Coach - but I could tell he’d been roofied.”

Keishin stares. From the looks on the faces of the other two, it’s the first they hear of this. They look like they’re only staying silent out of respect for his, Keishin’s, presence. “Are you sure?” he says carefully.

“Oh yeah. He was pushing at the guy, this dude was like four times his size…”

“That was the dude from the alleyway?!” Noya-kun bursts out.

“Yeah, I’m getting to that. So…”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Keishin holds up a hand. He wouldn’t have thought of Tanaka-kun as a liar, but he can recognize a tall story when he hears one. “How could you tell - it’s a crowded bar, it’s dark, it’s noisy, there’s music - how did you even notice them in the first place?”

“At first I thought it was Kageyama,” Tanaka-kun shrugs. “Kid was the same age, looked a lot like him. I was just going to go over and rip him a new one.”

“What for?”

“Well, for sneaking out!” Tanaka says self-righteously. Then he looks from one to the other of them. Azumane-san clears his throat politely. “Uh…”

“Hypocritical much, dude?” Noyassan smirks.

“It’s  _ different,”  _ Tanaka-kun splutters. “He’s a  _ first year,  _ for crying out loud! And he was all alone! We were  _ together!  _ We can look out for each other…” He trails off.

“So it’s okay for you,” says Keishin, “but not for your kouhais?”

“Uhh…”

Keishin can’t help a smirk. “You’ll make a good parent, Tanaka-kun.”

“That is  _ not  _ a compliment, man,” snorts Noya-kun, and Azumane-kun grins outright for the first time that day.

Tanaka-kun sighs and runs a hand over his head. “Anyway, that was why I was looking so closely at him. And I realized he wasn’t Kageyama-kun, but then I saw this big guy all over him, and his face was…” He draws in a breath, then stops when it seems to aggravate his bruised ribs. “It wasn’t like anything I’d seen before. And he was moving slow and his coordination was all off. I could tell the big guy had slipped him something.”

“Oh, shit,” whispers Noya-kun. “Sorry, coach,” he adds, in the same hushed tone.

“Why didn’t you call us?” Azumane-kun interjects.

“There wasn’t  _ time!”  _ says Tanaka. “I was just thinking what to do when the guy starts leading him out of the club, taking him  _ outside…”  _ His face is twisted with more than just his injuries. “The little guy was fighting him but he couldn’t  _ move  _ because he was  _ drugged  _ and he couldn’t fight back. He was… His eyes were...” Tanaka-kun looks like he’s going to be sick. “I had to do something.” He looks up at them, agitation clear in his eyes. “He was taking him  _ away  _ to… to… like-- to some-- kind of-- of love hotel or-- or…”

Keishin stares. He knew Tanaka-kun was a good kid, but seeing him this visibly upset on another’s behalf is making Keishin see him in an entirely new light. “So you started a fight,” he prompts.

_ “Hell  _ no!-- Sorry, Coach. What do you take me for?” He looks up at the other two. “I did that thing Neesan talks about, you know? ‘Hey, dude, long time no see!’ and shit-- sorry, Coach-- like I’m his long-lost brother or something, ‘you gotta meet the guys!’ kinda thing, and I led him away to the washroom and made him throw up and wash his face.  _ Then  _ his friends come busting in there, looking for him, like he didn’t nearly get kidnapped and _ fucking raped--  _ sorry, Coach-- on their watch.” He sighs. “I ripped them a new one about the buddy system, too.”

Keishin isn’t unfamiliar with the tactic Tanaka-kun’s describing: he’s heard of female friends using it. He’s impressed that a sixteen-year-old boy would have thought to use it, though, and clearly quite smoothly, as he succeeded in getting the victim away from the predator. Never mind that he appears to have been the only person in the bar who noticed the assault was happening in the first place - or who cared enough to stop it. “Did anyone else help you?” he can’t help asking.

“Help? Nah.” Tanaka-kun shrugs. “It’s a club, you know how it is. Everyone’s minding their own business.”

_ Yet you weren’t,  _ Keishin thinks. He doesn’t say it, instead asking, “How old was this fellow?”

“Ah, I don’t know. Twenties? Older.” Tanaka-kun shrugs.

“And built like a brick wall,” Noya-kun interjects.

“I’m impressed, Tanaka-kun,” Azumane-kun says softly. “That was a really good thing to do. You’re a-- a hero, I mean that. But you should have told us!”

“I was gonna tell you for sure! You think I’d miss a chance to brag? But it was so noisy, and the kid’s friends took him home, and I wanted to have  _ fun!  _ I figured I’d tell you later.”

“He caught you outside the bar, didn’t he,” Noya-kun whispers. His eyes are somber in a way Keishin’s never seen before.

Tanaka-kun turns his battered face to his friend and straightens. “I told you I’d do it again.”

“Chronological order, here?” Keishin cuts in. “I wasn’t there. You have to tell me in order.” He turns to Tanaka-kun. “Then what happened?”

“Nothing!” Tanaka-kun says defensively. “I went out for some fresh air while Noyassan and Azumane-san went to the bathroom--”

“Using the buddy system you decided  _ didn’t apply to you!” _ Noya-kun bursts out.

“I wasn’t  _ in  _ the bar!” Tanaka-kun snaps back. “I was out on the _ public street!  _ How was I supposed to know that people in Tokyo will see you getting attacked and not do anything to stop it?”

“Focus!” Keishin barks. “Go on, Tanaka-kun.”

“Yeah, well.” Tanaka-kun looks down. “He was waiting for me. Cleaned my clock.”

“He was waiting… to attack you,” Keishin can’t help clarifying. Noya-kun swallows. “In retaliation. For what you did in defending that young man.”

“Oh yeah,” Tanaka-kun sighs. “No question. I think his exact words were, ‘I’m going to break my hands on your face.’” Noya-kun flinches, like he’s been struck. “I tried to talk him down. Tried to walk away. Nothing doing. Asshole-- sorry, Coach-- thought I stole the kid away from him for  _ myself.”  _ There’s so much shock in Tanaka’s tone, like it’s abhorrent to him that  _ anyone  _ might so take advantage of someone so young and drugged and helpless. Keishin feels something swell in his chest. 

“We came out of the club and he wasn’t there.” Noya-kun’s fierceness has been banked so far, but it radiates out of him now, palpable in the confines of the train carriage. As he looks at his friend, Keishin can see the dark and fear of that night in his eyes. “You  _ weren’t there,  _ Ryuu.”

“Noyassan ran ahead, looking for him,” Azumane-kun says softly. “I was running too, but I couldn’t catch up. He found him first.”

“He’d cornered him in an alley,” Noya-kun says, low and bitter. “Tanaka-san was down.” The pain of the world is in his tone. “And that bastard was  _ kicking  _ him.”

Keishin has to keep his breath from catching at the passion and outrage in Noya-kun’s face, the fierce, protective love he had never thought to see in one so young. Not for the first time, he cautions himself against underestimating those younger than himself. “Did you call the police?” he prompts.

“Uhh…” Noya-kun rubs at the back of his neck. Keishin notices that Tanaka-kun is hanging on his every word. It occurs to Keishin that if Tanaka-kun was already unconscious by that point, maybe  _ he  _ doesn’t know how that fight ended either.

“No,” Azumane-kun adds, sober, but something like pride shining in his face. “By the time I caught up to them, Noyassan had taken care of it all by himself.”

“Oh wow,” Tanaka-kun breathes, smiling as best he can with half of his face. But then his expression flips. “Wait-- by  _ yourself _ , Yuu? I thought we agreed to always run  _ away  _ from fights where we’re outmatched!”

“Would  _ you  _ run away from a fight where I was down and someone was kicking me?!”

“That’s  _ different,  _ Yuu!”

“Oh, yeah? How is it different, Ryuu, I really wanna hear your logic--”

_ “Boys!” _

Their mouths snap shut and they all look at Keishin with identical contrite expressions, even Azumane-kun, who hasn’t been fighting. “One thing at a time. So, Noya-kun, you saw Tanaka-kun being beaten, and you…” he searches for a word, “intervened?”

“Well, yeah,” Nishinoya-kun says awkwardly. “He already had his back to me, so I kicked him in the knee and then got him two-handed in the back…” He looks up at Keishin. “I know what you’re gonna say, it’s dishonorable to hit someone from behind, I should have let him face me.” His cheeks color and he looks down, gritting his teeth. “I gotta confess, I’m not an honorable guy, okay, I had to get him away from Ryuu, that was all I was thinking. He turned to face me - I had to wait till he got away from Ryuu, there was no way I could move him--”

“How big was this fellow, anyway?” Keishin can’t help interrupting.

“Maybe as tall as Haiba Lev?” Azumane-kun says. “And  _ broad _ . I can’t think of anyone at Karasuno to compare him to. Even… nope, Aone-san from Date Tech is small compared to him. Maybe two hundred kilos of pure muscle.”

Keishin can feel his eyes widening as he looks from Azumane-kun to Noya-kun. After a moment of silence, Noya-kun resumes. “I had to catch him before he got up, so I kicked him in the side of the head, but he  _ still  _ wasn’t out…”

“You should have run,” Tanaka-kun admonishes.

“Yeah, and leave you to get killed, like that’s gonna happen,” Noya-kun retorts. “So I - look, Coach, I know you’re gonna say it’s streetfighting and I’m sorry, okay, I don’t have the samurai code of honor or whatever, I’m  _ sorry -  _ I uh, grabbed him by the hair and broke his nose with my knee.”

“You what?” Keishin blurts like an idiot.

And Noya-kun, also like an idiot, takes it as a slur on his honor. “I uh… made sure he was lying face-down… so he wouldn’t choke… Look, Coach, I never pretended I was some kind of white knight, all I wanted was to get Ryuu out of there before the guy fuc-- before the guy killed him!”

Tanaka-kun lays a hand on Noya-kun’s knee. “You’re a brave idiot, Noyassan. You’re an awesome fighter. And you saved me.”

Noya-kun’s head droops. “Yeah, yeah. Now Coach Ukai knows what kinda guy I am.”

Before Keishin can say anything - maybe applaud Noya-kun’s presence of mind and ethics, making sure his vanquished opponent was lying in a  _ fucking safe position - _ Azumane-kun takes up the tale. “I’m afraid we didn’t call the police then, either. That was my fault. Tanaka-san was unconscious, so we took him away from the scene and waited to see if he’d need a hospital. I checked him over…”

“You’re first-aid certified, right?” Keishin cuts in. He seems to remember reading about that in Azumane’s file.

“Yeah,” Azumane-kun confirms, “but maybe I should have insisted we take him to hospital but I wasn’t sure and he was saying not to so we didn’t get in trouble and--”

“Wait.” Keishin holds up a hand. “So you,” he looks at Tanaka-kun, “told them not to take you to hospital, although you didn’t know the extent of your injuries - you must have been in a lot of pain…”

“He was,” Noya-kun confirms, voice tight.

“...so your breaking curfew wouldn’t be discovered?”

Tanaka-kun gives a small shrug. “I don’t remember much after he cleaned my clock, Coach, I gotta tell you, but it sounds practical, right?”

“And you,” Keishin looks at where Azumane-san is sitting, rigid, beside him, “you went along with this?”

“I uh.” The pair’s senpai swallows and looks uncomfortable. “I… guess I shouldn’t have listened to them. I told Tanaka-san I didn’t care about getting in trouble if he really needed help…”

Keishin sits back a little. “Wait. Even though you’re a third year?”

Azumane-kun looks down at his lap. “Maybe it was irresponsible, but…”

“You’re a third year,” Keishin presses. “Your graduation might have been in jeopardy. Your  _ future.” _

Azumane-kun’s face falls further. Noya-kun leans forward and pats his knee. “Maybe I don’t have my priorities straight, Coach,” he mumbles. “But…” He raises his head. “If Tanaka-san had been seriously injured - if he’d had a punctured lung or something serious - yes, I  _ would  _ have insisted we take him to hospital. Even if it did jeopardize my future.” He swallows. “Maybe I don’t care about school enough, I don’t know.”

“And then,” Noya-kun finishes anticlimactically, “we took a cab home.”

Keishin sits back. “Okay,” he says, needing to say something. “Okay.” He pauses, looking from one to the other of the nervous-faced boys. “Okay. I think I’ve heard quite enough.”

“If--” Tanaka-kun moves too quickly and winces, drawing a concerned look from the other boys. “If you’re going to, uh, to impose a punishment, or suspend us or something, it should be me. I don’t regret it, Coach--” his one good eye comes up to meet Keishin’s again-- “but I was the cause of it. It should be me.”

“Shut the fuck-- sorry, Coach-- shut up, Ryuu. You saved a guy, and you paid for it by getting beat to hell and back! If anyone should be punished it’s me, brawling in the street like some yakuza.”

“No, Noyassan!” Azumane-kun cuts in. “I’m older than you, I should take responsibility. I should have stopped this from happening. As your senpai, I’m responsible.”

“If you’ve  _ quite finished,” _ Keishin cuts through their conversation, bringing their gazes to focus uncomfortably on him, “I have a few things to say.” All three of them draw themselves up - rather weakly, in Tanaka-kun’s case - and set their jaws, as if facing a firing squad. “From what I understand, you, Tanaka-kun, saw a young man your kouhais’ age being sexually assaulted, and you stepped in even though it was none of your concern.”

“Coach!” Noya-kun bursts out. “He was just--”

“Quiet,” Keishin barks, and Noya-kun subsides. “You, Noya-kun, saw your friend being attacked, and instead of calling the police, you ran  _ toward  _ the danger rather than away from it, with no regard for your personal safety.”

“Coach, I was out of it, sure,” Tanaka-kun cuts in, “but even I can tell that if Noyassan had waited to call the police, I would have been--”

“Quiet. And  _ you,”  _ he rounds on Azumane-san, “as their senpai, were prepared to throw away your future for the sake of getting Tanaka-kun to a hospital. Does that about sum it up?”

“Hey, now, coach, it sounds bad when you put it that way, but Asahi-san is--” 

“Silence.” Keishin quells Noya-kun with a glare. “I have a few things to ask you.” He waits for their nods, then begins. “Tanaka-kun,” he says. “Why didn’t you just leave the boy alone? The one you said looked like Kageyama?”

“Uhh…” Tanaka-kun blinks. “I… uh, sorry, what?”

“Why didn’t you just mind your own business? After all, him getting assaulted was none of your affair. His friends weren’t there; why should you risk yourself? And eventually pay the price?”

“Uhh…” More perplexed blinking. “Coach… what? I don’t… I, uh…”

“Exactly,” Keishin says, as if Tanaka’s given a coherent answer. “You have such a fundamental sense of decency, such a genuinely chivalrous nature, that it’s inconceivable to you to stand by and let someone else - even a total stranger - get hurt.” He turns to Noya-kun, who’s smiling and glowing at the praise of his friend. His face falls worriedly as Keishin comes to face him, though. “Noya-kun. You saw your friend being attacked. Why didn’t you run away from the danger?”

Noya-kun’s mouth falls open. Next to him, Keishin can see Azumane-kun nodding with a soft smile as he divines Keishin’s intent. “No offense, Coach, but are you crazy? Run away from the guy  _ beating up Ryuu?” _

“Yeah, like you  _ should  _ have done, moron,” Tanaka-kun mutters without heat.

“Friendship,” Keishin declares, “means so much to you that you would willingly risk yourself - take on someone half a meter taller and, by all accounts, easily twice your weight or more - to defend a friend, even if it meant you wound up suffering his fate.”

Noya-kun blinks. His hand slips between the seats to close around Tanaka-kun’s, their fingers interlacing. “Ryuu’s more than a friend. He’s my brother.”

“Most people would call the police. Or run  _ away  _ from danger.”

“Most people,” smiles Azumane-kun softly, “aren’t Noyassan.”

“And  _ you,”  _ Keishin concludes, turning to Azumane-kun. “Your priorities are entirely selfless. You would have sacrificed your graduation, your future, your prospects, in order to ensure a friend’s welfare.”

Azumane-kun blinks. The grin that splits Noya-kun’s face is blinding. “That’s our Asahi-san,” he says. “Doesn’t have a selfish bone in his body.”

“I would have to agree,” Keishin nods. “I have one more thing to say to you.”

He pushes his jacket off his lap and rises, stepping out into the corridor. Meeting each of the boys’ eyes in turn, he bows as low as he can in the cramped confines of the train. “Boys, I’m proud to know you. I’m humbled and honored to be able to call myself your coach.”

When he straightens, three identical baffled gazes are fixed on him. Deciding he’d rather deal with this sitting down, he resumes his seat. “I know Takeda-sensei is usually the one who gives the flowery speeches. So I’ll just say this. Your courage, your selflessness, your willingness to stand up for another person, even at risk to yourselves - those are the most noble traits a person can have. Never lose them.”

There’s a long silence, broken only by the whisper of the train as it rushes toward Sendai. “So… you’re not going to punish us?” Tanaka finally asks.

Keishin feels his shoulders slump. Has he done anything to make these kids fear him? Gods, he hopes not, he really hopes not. “Absolutely not,” he declares firmly. “If I could give you a medal, I would.” He leans toward Tanaka-kun. “Wear your wounds with pride,” he whispers. “There’s no greater honor than to pay such a price for defending a stranger.”

Noya-kun squeezes Tanaka-kun’s hand and grins delightedly at him. The soft, shy smiles he gets from the boys fill Keishin’s heart. Not for the first time, he blesses Ittetsu for opening up this door in his life, offering him riches he could never have dreamed of. He grins and musses Azumane-san’s hair playfully, trying to lighten the mood, as the train takes them home.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keishin and Takeda talk about what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooooo.... sorry I'm a coauthor on this because y'all had to wait. I hope you like it! <3

Keishin is tired. Three hours is a long train ride, and then making sure that everyone got home okay and enduring a lecture from the older Tanaka. She had a few choice words about “returning her brother in such a state,” but Keishin knows it comes from a good place. He kept up with the lie he told the doctor, giving enough verbal cues to show that he knows it isn’t the real story, but that’s the official story if anyone asks. There’s no way to hide Tanaka-kun’s injuries, not from anyone. Even Ittetsu, who has the “official” story and has been very kind about not pressuring Keishin to tell the rest. Not even over supper or all night when they were relaxing.

Now it’s bedtime and Keishin has had a lot of time to think. He thinks about the story that the boys shared with him and he can’t believe it, but he has no reason to doubt it. Ittetsu is already in bed, on his side, reading a volleyball magazine. Keishin thinks it’s last month’s issue, the new issue on the nightstand, ready to read. From where Keishin stands, he can see sticky notes and pen written in the margins of the magazine. Keishin’s heart swells. Ittetsu tries so hard to understand and he’s come a long way, but he’s still adorably green when it comes to volleyball.

Keishin is finishing up brushing his teeth, debating on putting his earrings back in. They don’t hurt to sleep in, but he’s had them out all week. Ittetsu hasn’t helped him decide which is better because “I like you however you look,” which isn’t helpful at all. He spits the toothpaste into the sink and rinses his face. He grabs the glass of water and heads into the bedroom, turning the light off behind him, the only light coming from the lamp on Ittetsu’s side of the bed. His side is the only side with a light, since Ittetsu reads a lot in bed, but it’s not too bright to stop Keishin from falling asleep.

Keishin settles on the bed, lying on his back and staring at the ceiling. He puts his hands behind his head and thinks. He hasn’t been able to stop thinking about Tanaka-kun, Nishinoya-kun, and Azumane-kun. He wonders where they learned that stuff. Keishin has always been part of a rougher group of friends, even if they played school sports, but he would hope that his friends would be like that. That he would act in such a way when he saw someone being assaulted. He can’t say if he would act the same way, but he really looks up to Tanaka-kun right now.

“Have I ever said thank you?” Keishin asks to thin air.

Ittetsu hums. “You did, earlier tonight, for making supper. And you did the dishes, even though I told you I would do them.”

Keishin looks over and Ittetsu hasn’t even looked up from his magazine, but he has that small, gentle smile on his face that Keishin loves. Well, he loves a lot of Ittetsu’s expressions. “That’s not what I mean.”

Ittetsu’s cheeks turn pink. “You don’t have to thank me for that stuff either, Keishin.”

Keishin snorts and rolls over, throwing an arm over Ittetsu’s lap and nuzzling into his thigh. “That’s not what I’m talking about either.”

“Oh?” Ittetsu says. “Then you’ll have to be more specific.”

Keishin looks up and Ittetsu is looking at him, eyes soft. He still has his glasses on, but he looks warm and happy and it makes Keishin’s heart swell. “Thank you for not giving up on me... for giving me the opportunity to get to know you, but also to get to know those boys.”

“What brought this on?” Ittetsu asks, brow furrowing cutely.

Keishin debates for a moment on whether or not to be honest with Ittetsu about this. He knows that he’s the kids’ teacher, so he’s got certain expectations and responsibilities that he can’t ignore, even to keep a secret for them. But... he loves this man, and he wants to share everything with him. “If I tell you, you have to keep it between us, okay? I promise it won’t violate anything about being a teacher or supervisor or whatnot.” Even though Ittetsu is the school advisor for the team, the trip they took wasn’t exactly school sponsored. Or, it was enough of outside school hours to not count? Keishin isn’t exactly sure.

“Is this about those three sneaking out last night?” Ittetsu asks, closing his magazine and putting it to the side.

Keishin sighs. “So you know about that?”

Ittetsu shrugs. “Kids always sneak out for these events. Some of the older teachers who’ve supervised for other sports teams have warned me. Usually it’s fine. They come back unharmed, if hungover... I’ve been believing the falling down the stairs story, and that’s what I told the school... but I know what it looks like to get beat up.”

Keishin’s heart breaks and he holds onto Ittetsu tighter. “Have you...?”

Ittetsu shrugs. “It was a long time ago, but they told you the story?” He gives Keishin another soft look and Keishin’s heart swells. “That means they trust and respect you.” He puts his hand over Keishin’s arm and squeezes. “They admire you, Keishin.”

Keishin shakes his head. “I doubt they admire me as much as I admire them.”

“You set a good example for them,” Ittetsu insists. “Don’t sell yourself short.”

Keishin shakes his head. “I have no idea where they learned this, but it wasn’t from me.” Keishin sits up and slouches. “I would hope that I could act the way they did, but I’m not so sure...” He smiles at Ittetsu. “I think they’re heroes.”

“What happened?” Ittetsu asks, brow furrowed.

Keishin rubs the back of his neck. “I guess I’ll start with that they snuck out last night, to go to a club.”

Ittetsu nods. “I got that.”

“I think they snuck out to Shinjuku Ni-chome.”

Ittetsu’s eyes go wide. “And what makes you say that?”

“Tanaka-kun interfered with some guy trying to drag off a much smaller, younger guy that he was sure was roofied.”

Ittetsu’s eyes go even wider. “What?! Are they okay?! What happened?! Keishin!”

Keishin chuckles, holding out his hands, “Calm down, sensei. You saw them today, they’re all in one piece. Tanaka-kun has a week off from activities, at least, but they’re all in one piece.”

“I can’t calm down, Keishin! They shouldn’t be seeing that sort of stuff!”

Keishin gathers Ittetsu in his arms and wrestles him so that he’s sitting between Keishin’s legs and leaning back into his chest. “Calm down,” he whispers, rocking Ittetsu back and forth.

“You better tell me what else happened, Keishin,” Ittetsu pouts. Keishin can hear the pout in his voice.

Keishin smiles, pressing his lips behind Ittetsu’s ear. “So they’re out, having a good time, and remember this is everything they told me, so it may not be accurate, and Tanaka-kun sees someone that he thinks is Kageyama.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, and guess what he does? He storms over, ready to give Kageyama a lecture about sneaking out--” Ittetsu snorts, “--I know, hypocritical, but he realizes that whoever he sees isn’t actually Kageyama and he’s about to leave the guy be, when he sees that the kid looks a little... dazed I guess?”

Ittetsu tenses in his lap. Keishin continues, somber. “Then he notices that the kid is trying to get away from the bigger guy, but he’s too weak to do it. And this guy is dragging this kid out of the bar. Tanaka-kun thinks something is wrong and he acts... apparently his sister taught him some stuff? He pretends to know the kid and gets him away from the big guy, takes him to the bathroom, makes him throw up, wash his face, and lectures the kid’s friends when they stumble in to find him.”

Ittetsu laughs. “Of course he would.”

“He has a very strong moral compass,” Keishin states, matter-of-factly.

“Are you sure he didn’t get that from you?” Ittetsu asks.

Keishin nudges him. “Shut up.”

Ittetsu laughs. “Now that can’t be the whole story.”

Keishin’s mood drops. “It’s not,” he sighs. “They got separated later in the night, and Tanaka-kun was alone and that guy approached him outside. Tanaka-kun... tried to avoid fighting--” And Keishin believes it. He can’t believe for a moment that he thought Tanaka-kun would start a fight. He holds Ittetsu tighter. “--and he got cornered by this guy and... well, he got his clock cleaned.”

Ittetsu’s hold tightens on Keishin’s arm. “Why?”

Keishin shrugs. “Thought Tanaka-kun took that Kageyama-looking kid for himself. His pride was hurt or something. They said he looked like Aone-kun, but they’d never met anyone so big... He might’ve killed Tanaka-kun if Nishinoya-kun hadn’t stepped in.”

“Noya-kun?”

Keishin nods. “Yeah, according to him and Azumane-kun, Nishinoya-kun jumped in and... laid that guy out.”

Ittetsu turns around and gives Keishin a wide-eyed look. _ “Our _ Noya-kun?”

Keishin chuckles and nods. “Yeah, our Noya-kun.” He turns Ittetsu back around and leans back, tracing patterns over Ittetsu’s arms. “I know people talk about ‘honorable fighting,’ but I’m sure we both know that street fights are never honorable. Nishinoya-kun got the drop on him and made him regret ever laying a hand on his brother.”

“Well I’m glad Tanaka-kun has friends like that.”

“I’m sure that Tanaka-kun would do the same for anyone else,” Keishin responds. “He just happened to be caught by some asshole.” He hugs Ittetsu tightly. “And it’s always the little ones you have to watch out for.”

Ittetsu snorts, swatting at Keishin. “So how does Asahi-kun play into this?”

“Gave Tanaka-kun some first aid and kept control of the situation.” He pauses for a second. “He was willing to risk his graduation if Tanaka-kun needed to go to the hospital.”

“Because he snuck out?”

“Yeah, but what you told me, they’re a lot less strict about that than I expected.”

Ittetsu shrugs. “Maybe it’s just me. They are usually scared enough to not do anything stupid.”

Keishin hums. “Yeah? Well... I can’t thank you enough for nagging me until I decided to do this. I never would have met... such amazing kids. I feel... honored to know them.”

“I didn’t nag you,” Ittetsu says haughtily. “I tricked you. Much different.”

“Sure,” Keishin laughs, kissing the side of Ittetsu’s neck. Ittetsu giggles, half-heartedly trying to escape. “That’s so much better.”

“Keishin, you’re tickling me!” Ittetsu laughs, pushing at Keishin’s face. Keishin avoids Ittetsu’s hands and blows raspberries on the sides of Ittetsu’s neck. He loves hearing Ittetsu laugh.

They continue like that for a while before Keishin maneuvers them so Ittetsu is on the bed underneath him, glasses askew and staring up at Keishin with a breathless smile. Keishin kisses Ittetsu on the lips, then pulls back. “Really, Ittetsu, thank you. You’re... you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Ittetsu smiles, pushing Keishin’s hair behind his ears. “And everyone calls me the sap,” he whispers.

Keishin nuzzles into Ittetsu’s touch. “I don’t know where they picked it up, but those kids have known you longer... I think you’ve had more of an influence over them.” He kisses Ittetsu again. “And you give way better speeches than me.”

“I can always teach you,” Ittetsu mutters.

“Oh really, sensei?” Keishin purrs.

Ittetsu’s cheeks go bright red. “You can’t call me sensei like that!”

“Like what, sensei?”

“Keishin!” Ittetsu giggles, pushing Keishin’s face away again. “You call me sensei in front of everyone! I can’t blush like this every time you call me sensei!”

“Sorry, sensei,” Keishin smiles, tickling Ittetsu again.

_ “Keishin!”  _ Ittetsu laughs, wriggling around. Keishin can’t remember a time in his life when he’s been happier. He doesn’t know why or how he got so lucky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> be sure to leave comments or kudos! It really helps!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takeda talks with the boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, this is absolutely 100% my fault why this chapter took like so long to come out! please leave your praise with sarah, she deserves all of it, i promise, and me the scorn for taking so long! 
> 
> i hope you enjoy this!

Ittetsu knows that his responsibilities as a teacher extend pretty far, but he also knows that sometimes everything is a little too black and white. This situation is a little more grey. He needs to talk with the boys about everything, so they understand the situation they’re in and why it’s important they don’t do it again, beyond the obvious. But honestly, Ittetsu wants to talk to them himself, to hear from their own mouths what happened. Not that he doesn’t trust Keishin to tell him the truth, but he does tend to exaggerate sometimes.

It’s a couple of days before Ittetsu can talk to all three of them together. Noya-kun and Asahi-kun come to practices, but Tanaka-kun takes the first few days off. Ittetsu is sure he’s seen Tanaka Saeko around campus, making sure her brother gets to and from school without further injury. 

Today, Tanaka-kun has come to watch practice, something that’s encouraged so they don’t miss out on any new techniques or plays. Ittetsu speaks with Keishin before practice, asking if he can steal Noya-kun and Asahi-kun to talk with them for a bit. He should wait until after practice, but he doesn’t want to wear Tanaka-kun out. He already looks exhausted, yet determined to be focused. Noya-kun is hovering and Asahi-kun is close by, concerned, but not hovering. 

This is probably the best day to speak with them. Tanaka-kun’s bruises look like they might be starting to yellow around the edges, but only the furthest edges. Noya-kun has a healing bruise on his knee that’s usually covered by his kneepads. It’s not unusual to see him with bruises though. All part of the libero position.

There’s still a few minutes before practice officially starts. Not that that matters for Hinata-kun or Kageyama-kun, who are already going full tilt with warm-up, sprinting back and forth and yelling. Keishin has had to implement a rule of no balls until official start time otherwise people were at risk of getting a ball to the noggin, and it encourages the boys to warm up in other ways. Keishin already gave him the go-ahead to speak with them, since Noya-kun appeared to be distracted today and that, in turn, has left Asahi-kun distracted.

He approaches the small group, trying to keep his expression friendly, but they all tense when he gets close. “Hey guys, if you come outside with me, I’d like to discuss what happened a few nights ago.”

Tanaka-kun pales and Noya-kun’s back straightens. Asahi-kun... looks about as anxious as he normally does. “Come on,” he urges. “It won’t take long.”

“Okay,” they say. Noya-kun leans down and helps Tanaka-kun to his feet. Tanaka-kun grumbles about the help, but he leans heavily on Noya-kun, then when Tanaka-kun is about halfway up, Asahi-kun carefully helps him as well.

Ittetsu leads the way out of the gym, letting the boys catch up. At least so close to practice, the chance of them being overheard by other teammates is slim. The boys are pretty good about getting to practice on time, after all. Although when he sees all of them hobble out, Ittetsu regrets not offering to help Tanaka-kun. They’re a lot closer in size, but Asahi-kun and Noya-kun are too tall and small, respectively, to offer him very comfortable support. Ittetsu wishes they had some chairs, but there are none nearby. He’ll try and make this as quick as possible. “You’re not in trouble,” he says first, hoping to calm them down.

“Sorry if we’re a little skeptical of that, Take-chan,” Tanaka-kun says.

“I understand, I just want to talk about what happened. You know, officially, you should be more careful in the dark, Tanaka-kun, falling down the stairs like that. You’re an important part of this team and we don’t want to see you hurt,” Ittetsu says.

They all blink at him. Ittetsu winks for effect, then says, “And, hypothetically, you should know better than to sneak off. It’s dangerous at night, as I’m sure you hypothetically know by now, even if you go with your friends. But I also might’ve, hypothetically, heard what you did, Tanaka-kun.”

Tanaka-kun gulps and looks away. Noya-kun whispers something to him. “I’m proud of you, Tanaka-kun. You stepped up and did what was right, even when you were scared. I’d rather you not take on that sort of thing alone again, because, with a moral compass like yours, I think it would be wrong of me to assume that you won’t step up again if the situation calls for it.” Ittetsu pauses. “Hypothetically.”

“Really?” Tanaka-kun asks.

Ittetsu nods. “Really. Not a lot of people would do what you did, and I’m sure that everyone is very proud of you.”

The more Ittetsu praises Tanaka-kun, the more uncomfortable Noya-kun looks. Ittetsu knows it’s not jealousy. From what he parsed together from Keishin last night, Noya-kun is embarrassed that he used “dishonorable” fighting tactics to help his friend. Ittetsu has to put his mind at ease. “Noya-kun, I heard what you did, too.” Noya-kun flinches. “And I’m very proud of you as well.”

Noya-kun’s eyes snap to him. “What?”

Ittetsu nods. “That kind of situation, it’s terrifying and it’s hard to say what the right thing to do is, call the cops or intervene and... well, I think you did the right thing. I don’t like to condone violence, but I’m sure that if there was another way, you would’ve done that. What you did was protect your friend from someone who was ready to hurt him beyond repair. That’s a hero in my book.”

Noya-kun’s lip quivers. “B-but I got him from behind... didn’t... didn’t give him a chance to fight back.”

Ittetsu shakes his head. “The only fighting that’s honorable is a fight held for sport. Without rules and without regulations, anything goes and it’s about surviving. You did  _ nothing _ wrong, standing up for your friend like that, because I assure you that if you’d given that guy a chance, he wouldn’t have fought fair with you.”

Noya-kun’s quiet for a minute, looking like he’s thinking. “I… I guess…”

“What would have happened if you  _ hadn’t  _ stepped in? Or if you’d waited for him to face you and he’d knocked you out?” Ittetsu prompts. “What would have happened to Tanaka-kun?”

Noya-kun is very still. It’s Tanaka-kun who answers. “He’d have killed me,” he says flatly. “One good kick in the head and it’d be over. He might not have started out meaning to kill me, but it wouldn’t have made a difference. I’d be just as dead either way.”

Something shifts in Noya-kun’s face. “Let’s not hear any more about fair fighting, Noya-kun,” Ittetsu says firmly. “You saved Tanaka-kun’s life. You acted admirably. Never doubt it.”

Noya-kun nods and wipes at his eyes. “Th-thank you, Takeda-sensei.”

“And Asahi-kun,” Ittetsu adds, not missing the way Asahi-kun flinches, “I’m also very proud of you.”

“Sensei?” he asks in confusion.

“You acted rationally and responsibly in an impossible situation. Again, it’s hard to know what the right thing to do is, but I’m very proud to call you one of my students.” He pauses and looks at all of them. “I’m proud to call all of you my students. I admire each and every one of you and while I’m sure mistakes were made, the night could have gone a lot worse and I’m just... happy to see everyone here today.”

“Thank you, Take-chan,” Tanaka-kun says. They all look a little speechless.

“Please be more careful in the future though, yeah?” he asks. “Yes, that night could’ve been a lot worse, and I’m grateful that it wasn’t, but I still dislike seeing any of you hurt. So, please take care?”

All three of them nod. “Alright!” Ittetsu says cheerily, clapping his hands together. “That’s all I wanted to say. Let’s get back to practice, yeah? Let me help Tanaka-kun back, though, he can sit by me and explain what’s going on.”

Tanaka-kun looks relieved and he puts an arm over Ittetsu’s shoulder. “Of course, sensei,” Tanaka-kun says. “I’ll explain everything better than Ukai-san.”

“Will you now?” Keishin asks, leaning against the doorway, arms crossed. He must have come to the door when Asahi-kun and Noya-kun rushed off inside.

“eep!” Tanaka-kun says while Ittetsu laughs.

“Come now, Ukai-san. You’re not going to let a high school student rile you up?” Ittetsu asks.

Keishin pouts and grumbles, “...put him through his paces when he’s healed up.” But he doesn’t otherwise respond.

Tanaka-kun groans. “I’m in for it now!”

Ittetsu laughs. “No worries, I’ll put in a good word for you.”

Tanaka-kun sighs in relief. “He does like you best.”

Ittetsu smiles, but doesn’t say anything. Keishin might like him the best, but he knows that everything Tanaka-kun did has earned him Keishin’s admiration. He’ll keep that to himself for now, maybe share it when they’re alone, but for now, he sits on the sidelines with Tanaka-kun as he explains the game in jargon that Ittetsu is having trouble keeping up with. His notes slowly fill and he knows he has a bunch of questions for Keishin later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay it's finally done! i hope it was satisfactory for everyone! comments and kudos are welcome! again, send all your praise to sarah, without her, this fic wouldn't even be here. i really hope it was worth the wait <3


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